Frieren: Reincarnated into the Hero’s body

"Wait,"

"Wait,"

"Wait."

"Are you fucking saying this staff is a living being? And if it is, why didn't you refuse it the first time I stored it in my inventory?" Himmel raised an eyebrow and asked the system suspiciously.

[Ding! Host, it wasn't alive when you first stored it. When the system detected a living being, it immediately removed it,] the system explained to Himmel, who had a suspicious expression on his face.

"Where am I? Didn't I die to that hobgoblin?"

The staff suddenly spoke. Himmel, who was holding it in his hand, was shocked.

"Who are you?" He immediately put the staff down and took two steps back.

"Me? I'm Sophia. Are you Himmel?"

As the words reached Himmel's ears, he became even more surprised.

Sophia? Of course, he knew her. He had buried her body not long ago, and now her staff was claiming to be her? Himmel, who himself was a reincarnator, wasn't too surprised by such things happening. But being cautious wasn't bad. Let's listen to her first, he thought.

"Aren't you dead? I just buried your body. And what are you doing inside your staff?" Himmel asked, curiosity flashing in his eyes.

"Ah, so it worked, huh?" Sophia sighed in relief.

"Well, it's a long story. Where do I even start?" She pondered to herself, thinking of a way to explain.

"I didn't tell you before, but I'm actually the last descendant of the Blackwood Duchy," she said with a solemn tone.

"Who are they?" Himmel asked nonchalantly.

[+50 anger from Sophia]

Huh? Why is she angry? I really don't know them, Himmel thought as he saw the notification.

"Well, that's natural because they don't exist anymore. The land is now called Graf Granat's Domain, and over 300 years have passed since my family was destroyed by Aura the Guillotine. There's not much history left about us," Sophia explained in a sorrowful tone.

"And what does that have to do with you being inside the staff?" Himmel asked.

"Let me finish first. Before our family was destroyed—"

"Stop the info dump and get to the point," Himmel interrupted, his face expressionless.

[+50 anger from Sophia]

"This bastard… Well, our family inherited this staff and passed it down to our descendants. The user had to drop their blood to form a contract with it. It can save you in life-threatening moments, so it's a life-saving artifact," Sophia explained in a pissed-off tone.

[Congratulations, Host, for accumulating 1050WP. The shop feature has been unlocked.]

Himmel saw the notification and became excited. He immediately opened the shop, only to find intermediate spells and potions.

[Shop]

[Spells]

Earth Spell (Intermediate) – 5,000WP

Fire Spell (Intermediate) – 8,000WP

Water Spell (Intermediate) – 3,000WP

Defensive Spell (Intermediate) – 10,000WP

Arrows of Ice: Nephtear – 20,000WP

[Potions]

Healing Potion – 100WP

Mana Potion – 100WP

Seeing the shop options, Himmel furrowed his brows in disappointment.

"Is this all? Nothing new? Only intermediate spells and an ice arrow spell?" Himmel muttered.

[Ding! Host, this is only version 1.0 of the shop feature. You need more WP to unlock additional options. You can get anything—as long as you have enough WP.]

Hearing the system's explanation, Himmel closed the shop window and looked back at the staff—now Sophia. He picked it up.

"So this is the life-saving artifact, huh?" He smirked sinisterly.

"As I explained, it's a life-saving artifact. Let me warn you—if you're thinking of doing something bad, this only works with my Blackwood family bloodline," Sophia said with pride.

"Tsk tsk, that's too bad." Himmel clicked his tongue in disappointment.

"Well then, goodbye."

He placed the staff on the ground and turned to leave.

"Wait! Don't leave me in this place!" Sophia cried behind him.

"And why should I carry you around? I'm already struggling with my life and have too many pursuers. If I take a soul-possessing staff with me, I'll only attract even more attention. Besides, I can't store you in my inventory because you're a living being," Himmel explained his situation to her.

"Inventory? What's that?" Sophia asked curiously.

"I mean a space bag. Ah, right… your space bag is also here."

Himmel suddenly remembered the space bag he took when he was at the campfire. He waved his hand, and a small space bag appeared in his palm. He tossed it toward the staff and walked away.

Sophia, who could hear Himmel leaving, clenched her nonexistent hands. Then she cried out desperately, "Please don't leave! I'll do anything!"

"Oh? And what can you do?" Himmel asked curiously.

"Ah… that…"

Sophia, realizing she no longer had her elegant body, was stunned. What can I even offer him? This was her only chance to survive. If she was left alone in this unknown forest, what would happen to her? It was possible no one would ever find her.

"I… I'll give you all the magic spells in my space bag!" Sophia finally said in desperation.

Himmel's ears perked up as curiosity overtook him.

"But on one condition," Sophia interrupted his thoughts. It was natural that she didn't trust him. Who knew what he would do if he took the spells and ran away? To protect herself, she offered a contract.

"Become my master and use me as your staff. You may specialize in swordsmanship instead of magic, but that's fine—I can transform into a sword. It will be useful for you."

Himmel considered her offer and asked again, "Are you sure you want me as your master? Besides, I already have a staff. I don't need another one right now."

"Are you a mage? Didn't you use a sword for fighting?" Sophia was surprised by Himmel's words.

"Well, I'm a beginner-tier mage," Himmel admitted. He looked at the staff Sophia was in, waiting to see her reaction.

"Ah, so that's how it is. When I first met you, I sensed mana fluctuations but thought I was mistaken," Sophia said with a concerned tone.

"Ah, that was the day I formed my first Mana Heart Circle," Himmel answered.

"Wait, you made a Mana Circle? How long did it take you?" Sophia asked.

"Mm… I think it took me about four hours? I don't remember exactly how long I meditated, but it was around that."

"Pft… Who are you fooling? Just admit it if you're embarrassed," Sophia said teasingly.

"What do you mean?" Himmel frowned, confused.

"Are you serious?" Sophia's tone suddenly became serious.

"Yes, I'm serious. Tell me what's wrong."

"Hold on… Are you saying that you formed a Mana Heart—a process that takes months—in just four hours?"

"Wait… What do you mean it takes months to form a Mana Heart?" Himmel asked.

"That's exactly what I said. Mana Hearts are so difficult to create that most mages don't even use them anymore. Only a few manage to form them, and even then, it takes them over two months." Sophia explained.

"..."

"Wait… What?"

To be continue.

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